'Death Test' aims to predict time of death

Wanna know when you'll die? Personally, I'd rather it be a surprise, but if you answered yes you're in luck, or maybe you'll find out you're not.

"Scientists in Finland ... have developed what they call a death test. It is a simple blood test that can predict whether a seemingly healthy person may die from a medical condition within one to five years." (Via WCFT)

Researchers say they were astonished that they could draw so much from such a simple test. The process uses biomarkers in the body to measure a person's level of health. (Via National Cancer Institute)

Every system in our bodies has its own biomarkers, and they can be used to diagnose and analyze different biological conditions from cancer to heart disease and more.

The so-called "death test" calls attention to biomarkers showing signs of abnormality, and that's how researchers estimate when and how someone might die. Even for people who believed they were perfectly healthy, the test sometimes showed otherwise. (Via WZTV)

Those with abnormal biomarkers supposedly have a risk of dying five times higher than people with regular biomarkers. WNYW explains how researchers discovered the test.

"Researchers took blood samples from more than 17,000 people in generally good health, testing for more than 100 chemicals found in your body... Then five years later comparing the samples to those still alive to those not so fortunate."

So how can the results help people who receive not so great news? Well, a doctor with the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Finland said, "We believe that in the future these measures can be used to identify people who appear healthy but in fact have serious underlying illnesses and guide them to proper treatment." (Via The Telegraph)

Now, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done, and ultimately the test wasn't developed to let you know if the grim reaper is chasing you down. After the kinks are worked out, the death test will actually, hopefully, help you dodge death.